BOOK SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: The Traveling Man, a Horror Thriller by Matt Drabble

The Traveling Man

By Matt Drabble 

Genre: Thriller, Horror

Synopsis:
The small desert town of Granton is a typical slow boiling pot of unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Every hard working day is much like any other here where little ever changes.

Sheriff Cassie Wheeler runs a tight ship in the tradition of her late father. There is little serious crime to trouble her department, save for the local miners’ occasional rowdiness after payday.

But Granton has its share of secrets hiding behind twitching curtains. Small town folks often have the biggest of ambitions.

Now the long dusty road into town has brought with it a stranger. A man of elegance calling himself Gilbert Grange has arrived. He brings with him a bag full of dreams and a silver tongue of promise. He can give you whatever you desire, all you have to do is sign on the dotted line.

The residents of Granton are about to discover that dreams can come at a terrible price, and you should always be careful what you wish for.


My Review:

I’ll start with this: This is an amazing book! This is my first opportunity to read one of Matt Drabble’s books, though I’ve heard many good things about them. I’m super stoked to have started reading with ‘The Traveling Man’. It has all the elements I love in a thriller. Its dark subject matter, creepy terrain, a highly developed and complex cast of characters, and a thundering crescendo all make for a spectacular novel of horror and suspense. Gilbert Grange is one of the grandest creations for an anti-hero I’ve yet encountered, and the protagonists I found myself feeling actual sorrow for as they suffered through the chaos unleashed on them! I don’t want to be a spoiler by telling any more about this stunning book! I encourage anyone who enjoys this genre (or those who are on the fence) to pick up this book immediately. You will be glad that you did! I am looking forward to reading the rest of the vast body of work that the author has available.

Author Bio:

Born in Bath, England in 1974, a self-professed "funny onion", equal parts sport loving jock and comic book geek.

From an early age reading so many works of varied authors, I took the somewhat foolhardy decision to attempt my own novel.

I now have eight novels available, "Asylum - 13 Tales of Terror" “,Gated", "Rapture Falls", "Fangsters" and my latest novels "Abra-Cadaver" & a new horror anthology "After Darkness Falls" Volumes One and Two. I have also just published a sequel to "Gated" called "Gated II: Ravenhill Academy"

“Gated” was a UK Horror Chart #4 best seller.

“Asylum – 13 Tales of Terror” was a Horror/Anthology Chart #1 for over a year and voted #5 on The Horror Novel Reviews Top 10 Books of 2013.

“Abra-Cadaver” recently won an Indie Book of the Day award.

I have recently been signed by Taylor Street Books in San Francisco who will be producing my novel "The Montague Portrait" and I am currently writing "Double Visions"

Links:
Visit me at www.mattdrabble.com

Twitter: MattDrabble01

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.drabble.3?fref=ts

or to sign up for a newsletter: Matt.Drabble.Author

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Travelling-Man-Matt-Drabble-ebook/dp/B00LPHC762

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Outshine by Nola Decker

OUTSHINE  Nola Decker

Book Description 

When agoraphobic Gabe and his outgoing nemesis Jessa go on a moonlit road trip to locate Gabe's missing brother, the two teens discover they are both hiding unnatural abilities: Gabe is a living lie detector and Jessa is a kick-ass powerhouse pretending to be a delicate diva. 

Gabe's sole reason for searching for Watts, his overbearing younger brother, is to clear his own name: he's been framed for Watts' alleged murder. Jessa is after Watts because she is, well, after him.

They find him with Deacon, the twisted eugenicist responsible for their unusual powers. He encourages them to stay and join his "Family" where they'll be able to live openly as the genetically-modified freaks that they are. When Jessa and Gabe uncover the truth about Deacon's past--and what he wants for the future--they band together to stop him. Watts, however, might have other plans . . .

Author Bio

Nola Decker is the only writer in Seattle who doesn't drink coffee. She makes up for her happy and healthy childhood by writing stories in which terrible things happen to young people. She loves salted caramel anything and Fridays. 

Links:

Twitter handle: @nola_decker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nola.decker

Website: www.noladecker.com

Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8178025.Nola_Decker

Amazon page link: http://amzn.com/B00JND06LI 

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BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Strangers on a Bus by Rob Manary

Strangers on a Bus
By Robert Manary

Genre - Romantic Comedy/Memoir

Book Description

If you liked When Harry Met Sally, you'll fall in love with Robb and Gertrude from Strangers on a Bus...

Robb is crushed by a failed relationship with the love of his life and finds himself unexpectedly on a long bus trip from his adopted home in the U.S. back to his native Canada.

At the first stop in NYC, a girl gets on and so begins a contemplation of life, love, and strange events that will bring tears of laughter and heartache streaming down your face.

Is this girl Robb's real true love or just a rebound? How far can they get on a bus ride anyway?

This is a true story.

Author Bio

Robert Manary is an international playboy and man of mystery, with the charm and sophistication of James Bond shaken not stirred with a couple ounces of Cyrano de Bergerac, a dash of Rasputin, and garnished with the rapier wit of Thurston Howell the Third.

That’s how he sees himself, anyway.

The truth is Robert Manary is a construct. Manary’s alter ego dropped out of Radio Broadcasting College to pursue a lucrative career bartending at a seedy gentlemen’s club, played around stocking shelves at a small grocery store until he screwed up badly enough to be given a promotion, and finally left that glamorous life for the bright lights of New York.

Manary is an award winning blogger, an erotic romance novel writer, and the author of a pretty decent romantic comedy.

New York, New York, if you can make it there you can make it anywhere. Manary couldn’t make it there, returned to Canada, and chronicled the journey in that pretty decent romantic comedy mentioned above.

Manary is also an experimental artist who has no clue how to write an Author’s Bio, and definitely no idea how to end one.

He has only been in love once, and that didn't work out so well, but he dreams and dreams of that girl he's loved all along. Can a taste of love be so wrong?


Social media links:
Website - www.robmanary.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/RobManaryAuthor

Twitter - www.twitter.com/RobManary 

Amazon buy link - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UIDETC

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: The Night of the Moon Serpent by Amaia S. Li

The Night of the Moon Serpent: 

First Passage to the World Beyond

By Amaia S. Li

Genre: Fantasy

Book description:

After an encounter with the eccentric Dr. Máximo Rojas, twelve-year-old David Luke starts to experience mysterious symptoms. Dreams about giant owls and visions of a silver-white snake haunt him.  Later, Rojas kidnaps David's mother in order to lure the boy to enter the ruins of an ancient pyramid.  It is there that David will not only face the truth about his father, but also about himself.

THE NIGHT OF THE MOON SERPENT: FIRST PASSAGE TO THE WORLD BEYOND will take readers of all ages to an adventure where a powerful brujo, or sorcerer, and a modern-day healer, the curandero, vie for control over a mythological creature and the possession of a boy's soul.

Author Bio:

Amaia S. Li was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She graduated from the University of Hawaii at West Oahu and earned an MLISC at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She lives in Honolulu. The Night of the Moon Serpent is her first book.

Links: 

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Serpent-First-Passage-Beyond-ebook/dp/B00GKUPZXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402723378&sr=8-1&keywords=night+of+the+moon+serpent

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-night-of-the-moon-serpent-amaia-s-li/1117475882?ean=2940045443333


Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374048

Amaia’s blog:
http://secretweekendwriter.wordpress.com/

Book’s page:
http://secretweekendwriter.wordpress.com/the-night-of-the-moon-serpent-first-passage-to-the-world-beyond/the-night-of-the-moon-serpent/ 

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Hostage: Kidnapped on the High Seas by Linda Davies

Hostage: Kidnapped on the High Seas

By Linda Davies

Genre: Memoir

Book Synopsis

Known for her powerful female protagonists who refuse to back down in the face of evil, New York Times bestselling author Linda Davies somehow found herself in a situation that could have been ripped from the pages of one of her thrillers.

In 2005, Linda was living happily with her family in Dubai. Ever the adventurer, she was on the maiden voyage of her new catamaran alongside her husband when the boat's captain unknowingly sailed into sharply contested waters in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran. Soon the trio were surrounded by gun boats and boarded by armed Iranian militants.

Over the next two weeks Linda was held hostage by one of the most feared regimes in the world, with no reason to expect anything but the worst. The story of her imprisonment and harrowing escape, which she has worked so hard in the past to forget, is told in candid and shocking detail.  Crackling with tension, it is also laced through with black humor and insight. Iran is perhaps the most hated and the least understood country in modern society and Linda's account gives a rare, illuminating glimpse into the realities of the oppressive regime.

Author Bio

Linda Davies is half Welsh, half Danish, or half Celt, half Viking, and loves myths, legends of warriors and the sea.

 A graduate in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University, she worked for seven years an as investment banker in New York, London and Easter Europe before escaping to write novels.  She grew up steeped in economics as both her late father, Professor Glyn Davies and her late brother, Professor John Davies, were economists.  Like them, she believes that economics is more art than science and she particularly enjoys delving into the emotions of markets and market makers, both the honest (yes, they do exist!) and the fraudsters, many of whom remain invisible.

Her first Novel, Nest of Vipers, has been published in over thirty countries, selling over two million copies.  It has also been optioned three times by major Hollywood studios.

 Linda has written four more novels for adults which have all been published internationally; Wilderness of Mirrors, Into the Fire, Something Wild and Final Settlement.  She is known for her portrayal of strong, independent and rebellious women in extreme situations.

Linda lived in Peru for three years, and in the Middle East for eight years, during which time she was kidnapped by Iranian government forces and held hostage for two weeks in Iran.  After UK government intervention, she was freed.  

Linda writes for Young Adults too.  Her first series, the Djinn Quintet - Sea Djinn, Fire Djinn, Storm Djinn and King of the Djinn (and in time War of the Djinn) - has been optioned by Hollywood producer, Sandy Climan.

 As well as writing novels, Linda also writes for The Times, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Independent and the Guardian newspapers in the UK, and the National Theatre.  She is a winner of the Philip Geddes Prize for journalism.  Linda is married with three children.  She lives by the sea in Suffolk.

COVER REVEAL: Shrink Rapt by Freda Hansburg

A little hypnosis can be a dangerous thing.

Shrink Rapt

By Freda Hansburg

Publication Date: August 2014

Genre: Psychological Thriller 

Psychologist April Simon reaches that conclusion when four of her most unstable patients begin to violently unravel following the murder of their psychiatrist, Lowell Morgenstern, April’s arrogant department chairman.  She suspects it’s no coincidence that all four were subjects in his research project.

As April tries to undo Morgenstern’s mayhem, she finds her colleagues turning resentful, her career on the line, and the chairman’s killer closing in.  Who can she trust?  Maybe Sam Perone, the attractive, cynical detective who seeks her help in solving Morgenstern’s murder – that is, when he’s not treating her as a suspect.

Author Bio

Freda Hansburg is a psychologist who lives with her husband in New Jersey.  She is the co-author of the self-help books PeopleSmart and Working PeopleSmart.  Shrink Rapt is her first novel.

Links:

https://twitter.com/FredaHansburg

http://fredahansburg.com/

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Prey of Desire by JC Gatlin

Title: Prey of Desire

Author: JC Gatlin

Genre: Mystery-Suspense, New Adult

Published: February 2014

Book Description:

They said the disappearance of two high school students over 25 years ago was mystery that couldn't be solved.

No one ever said it shouldn't be.

Following the abrupt end of a relationship, college student Kimberly Bradford finds comfort in the friendship with her over-the-top neighbor, Mallory. And, Mallory encourages her to get back out there. She would of course if it weren't for the thrilling little love notes and gifts she's been receiving.

Kim thinks they're from her ex-fiancee, not realizing he's been murdered. Worse, whoever is sending her all the extra attention is not only in her inner-circle, but has a connection to that unsolved murder some 25 years ago. That connection puts her life in danger, and exposes secrets better left buried around her closest friends and family.

Author Info:

JC Gatlin lives in Tampa, Florida. In addition to regular fishing trips, he wrote a monthly column for New Tampa Style Magazine, then began penning several mystery/suspense stories. He also maintains a blog about the art of spinning a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat mystery yarn.

Coming from a large family with five brothers, JC grew up in Grapevine -- a small Texas town just outside of Dallas. He moved to Tampa in 1999, and most of his stories feature the rich landscapes of Texas and Florida as backdrop.

Website: http://jcgatlin.com/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/JC-Gatlin/e/B00ENPSDU2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJcGatlin

BOOK REVEAL: The Automation by G.B. Gabbler

The Automation

By G.B. Gabbler

Genre: Urban Fantasy

The capital- A Automatons of Greco-Roman myth aren’t clockwork. Their design is much more divine. They’re more intricate than robots or androids or anything else mortal humans could invent. Their windup keys are their human Masters. They aren’t mindless; they have infinite storage space. And, because they have more than one form, they’re more versatile and portable than, say, your cell phone—and much more useful too. The only thing these god-forged beings share in common with those lowercase-a  automatons is their pre-programmed existence. They have a function—a function their creator put into place—a function that was questionable from the start…

Odys (no, not short for Odysseus, thank you) finds his hermetic lifestyle falling apart after a stranger commits suicide to free his soul-attached Automaton slave. The humanoid Automaton uses Odys’s soul to “reactivate” herself. Odys must learn to accept that the female Automaton is an extension of his body—that they are the same person—and that her creator-god is forging a new purpose for all with Automatons…

The novel calls itself a “Prose Epic,” but is otherwise a purposeful implosion of literary clichés and gimmicks: A Narrator and an Editor (named Gabbler) frame the novel. Gabbler’s pompous commentary (as footnotes) on the nameless Narrator’s story grounds the novel in reality. Gabbler is a stereotypical academic who likes the story only for its so-called “literary” qualities, but otherwise contradicts the Narrator’s claim that the story is true.

THE AUTOMATION is a this-world fantasy that reboots mythical characters and alchemical concepts. Its ideal place would be on the same bookshelf as Wrecker's THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI and Gaiman’s AMERICAN GODS—though it wouldn’t mind bookending Homer, Virgil, and Milton, to be specific.

For updates and purchasing information on THE AUTOMATION please visit Gabbler's website.

Learn more about G.B. Gabbler and B.L.A. on Tumblr and stay updated with them on Facebook and Twitter.  

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Relocating Without Breaking a Sweat: Your Handbook For a Perfect Move

Relocating Without Breaking a Sweat: 
Your Handbook For a Perfect Move

by Pamela Smith 

Genre: Nonfiction, How-To

Synopsis:

Relocating to a new place, away from the people you care about and away from your familiar surroundings, may prove to be more difficult than you ever imagined. And regardless of whether it is а local, cross-country or international move, there will be an overwhelming number of factors to consider before you can make the right choice under the circumstances. Remember that information is your best friend and helper in your imminent decision, and that help is always available in one form or another.

Relocating Without Breaking A Sweat: Your Handbook For A Perfect Move is your invaluable helper during these transitional times. This book covers everything you need to know before, during and after your residential or long-distance relocation: from the fascinating history of the moving industry, through great practical moving tips and ultimate packing guides to best ways to relocate locally, interstate or abroad with your children, pets or plants, plus a wide range of various personal possessions. Also, the book offers helpful DIY advice and an extensive section of what to do once you’ve moved to your new home (including tips for resolving issues with your mover). And much, much more!

Its end will surely bring a smile on your face.

Be well informed.

Be ready for the challenge.

Find yourself in the driver’s seat of this moving adventure.

Author Bio:

Pamela Smith is an expert in the moving industry and a contributor to MyMovingReviews.com – one of the leading moving company review websites. As an experienced specialist in the relocation industry, she is dedicated to finding the major problems that people most often encounter when moving and proposing the best possible solutions. While browsing through the numerous useful moving resources, relocation guides and moving industry news, you can’t help but notice her earnest publications and in-depth analysis on almost any kind of moving-related topic one can imagine. Pamela is truly devoted to her work and writes with the same lively passion with which she dances her favorite salsa every weekend at the local dance club.

Links: 

Book’s page:

http://www.mymovingreviews.com/move/the-ultimate-moving-book

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KO8ZCEC

GoodReads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22381374-relocating-without-breaking-a-sweat

SmashWords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/446530

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BOOK SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: THE WOODS by Ronald Lee Geigle

The Woods

By Ron Geigle

Genre: Historical Fiction

Blasting railways into the side of mountains, scaling Douglas firs that tower 200 feet. These visions draw 18-year-old Albert Weissler to a job with the Skybillings Logging Company in the high mountains of Washington State. But a train crash on a mountainside that kills a friend, and Albert's discovery that it was sabotage, quickly dash boyhood dreams and launch a saga of love, grand dreams, and transformation in the turbulent world of big-timber logging and labor unrest in late-1930s America.

This is The Woods, part coming of age story, part historical novel. It is the story of Albert learning to survive in a dangerous and unforgiving environment; Albert's mother, Lydia, struggling to restart her life after Albert's father is killed in the woods; WWI veteran and Skybillings owner, Bud Cole, trying to rebuild his dream after the market crash destroyed him; and savvy firebrand Clare Ristall campaigning to win a political election, build a new union - and win Lydia's love.

The Woods is a beautiful panorama of lives and dreams during one of the most defining moments of American history, as have's and have-not's, the powerful and the ordinary, struggle to survive in the wake of economic upheaval. This is a book that paints the inner complexities and nuances of its characters as beautifully as it portrays the raw splendor of the Northwest's ice-topped peaks and unrelenting natural power of the woods themselves.

My review:

The Woods is an amazing book. I’ll start with that. I’ve lived in the rural coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest for the last 15 years, so I’m well-acquainted with loggers and the associated family heritage they share. And I’m a sucker for historical novels, as well, in addition to growing up in a very pro-union household. So this novel focuses on areas of personal interest and knowledge for me. 

This region has had a rich and very rugged history, and it shines through in Mr. Geigle’s epic novel about the Washington Cascades logging industries struggles during the depression. It includes a rich cast of characters, a strong and vivid description of the scenery, industry, and plight of the logger during this turbulent era, and the birth of the AFL-CIO, and the violence and instability that preceded the formation of this alliance. I love the character development of this book, and the varied histories of its protagonists and antagonists and their uneasy interaction with each other. The brutal tapestry that the author weaves is beyond compare. It builds on itself to a brilliant crescendo, and breaks, leaving me wanting to continue on down the course of the characters individual lives beyond the end of the book. I highly recommend this book but warn you, it is not light reading. 

This book is dazzling in how it colors this dark and dreary time, and place.

Author Bio

Ronald Lee Geigle grew up in the Pacific Northwest.  He was born in Monroe, Washington, and attended Meadowdale Senior High School.  After graduating from the University of Washington, he headed for Washington, DC, where he has spent the past 30+ years as a speechwriter, congressional aide, and public relations consultant. He worked for Washington State Senator Warren Magnuson and US Representative Norm Dicks, and founded the public relations firm Polidais.

"You learn a lot about people over that many years," says Geigle. "And you learn a lot about politics. It is always a surprise to me, despite all these years in DC, what those two forces do to one another—and not necessarily in a good way."

Geigle makes politics a central part of his novel, The Woods, which tells a coming-of-age story set during a period of labor unrest in the Pacific Northwest during the late 1930s. As the nation emerges from the Great Depression, both haves and have-nots struggle for financial survival and, more importantly, to achieve their dreams in the face of adversity, danger, and political ambition.

Geigle won fiction writing awards from the National Press Club in Washington, DC, in 1997 and 1998 for two chapters from his novel.

COVER REVEAL: Too Many Strings by John Mellor

Click HERE for reviews and free download on author's website.

COVER REVEAL: Mariposa by Kim Wells

Mariposa: 

A Love Story by Kim Wells

Genre:  Urban Fantasy/Paranormal, New Adult, Magic Realism, Light Horror, Ghost

Synopsis: 

Murdered, then trapped between worlds as a ghost, Meg is surrounded by other lost souls, some seeking to make peace with their past, while others… others fear a killer in the netherworld, who feeds on what ghosts most treasure: memories. As the killer grows stronger, he begins to threaten both the dead and the living, including Meg’s grieving step daughter.

Now a dead woman must fight the battle of her life, for the sake of her friends and family, and find out for herself if love can indeed be stronger than death.

Author website:  www.kimwells.net

COVER REVEAL FOR Down on the Other Street: Volume One by Jennifer Cie

Down on the Other Street: Volume One

By Jennifer Cie

Release Date: July 29, 2014

Book Description:

Long winded, unemployed, and timid, on the first date Brendan Bloom is already in love. Comfortably arched over his body, Ryan contemplates murder. Cold, necklace gleaming against the pale tint of her collarbone, the passenger could have mercy. Not a little black book, but a faded love letter out from under the sheets. Some romances ignite on sight, others flare at the base of waterless tubs soaked in agitation. Rooted in the South, this collection of short stories delivers five electric confessions of love, sexuality, and identity across time.

Links:

@JenniferCie1

www.journeytopaperback.com

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: FRANCESCA of LOST NATION

Francesca of Lost Nation

By Lucinda Sue Crosby

Genre: (an old-fashion) Romantic Suspense

Winner of Four Literary Prizes & Author selected as one of “50 Authors You Should be Reading” by The Authors Show online media outlet.

Book Blurb

When a mysterious man named Matthew appears in the small Iowa town of Lost Nation, his sudden arrival raises questions about his past. Quiet with an apparent taste for rum, Matthew makes it clear he doesn’t want to make friends. He isn’t too pleased to be dropped off at Home Farm where the independent and eccentric Francesca doesn’t accept bad manners or booze binges.
 Matthew doesn’t want to form personal ties and intends to move on as soon as his damaged leg from a recent plane crash heals. But a series of events draw him into reluctant relationships: One with the feisty Francesca, the second with her 10-year-old granddaughter Sarah.
 

In spite of her own reservations, Francesca finds herself falling for this brooding pilot but his past looms between the pair and what neither knows is that Sarah, Francesca's 10-year-old granddaughter, has encountered a stranger of her own ... leading to a climatic confrontation that will put her and her grandmother’s life in danger. 

Author Info

Lucinda Sue Crosby is an International Kindle Bestselling author and award-winning journalist and environmentalist as well as a published and recorded Nashville songwriter. She's also a former film and television actor, professional athlete and sports commentator. Lucinda Sue has always had a love affair with the written word.


http://amzn.to/1lzM8rg Kindle

http://amzn.to/1pPmvXN - Paperback

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book spotlight & review: A MASQUE OF INFAMY by Kelly Dessaint

A MASQUE of INFAMY 

by KELLY DESSAINT

A Masque of Infamy is a ribald story of teenage rebellion and survival. After moving from Los Angeles to small town Alabama in 1987 with his father, his younger brother and this guy Rick, a friend of the family, Louis Baudrey tries to fit in at the local high school, but the Bible-thumpers and the rednecks don’t take too kindly to his outlandish wardrobe and burgeoning punk attitude. At home, he defies the sadistic intentions of Rick, who tries to rule the household with an iron fist. As Louis is about to be shipped off to military school, he stumbles upon indisputable proof that will free him and his brother from Rick’s tyranny. But just when he thinks his troubles are over, he’s locked up in the adolescent ward of a mental hospital, where he must fight the red tape of the system to save himself, Joey and maybe even his dream of being a punk rocker.

Review: Masque of Infamy by Kelly Dessaint

I had the opportunity to meet Kelly some months back in a central SoCal locale that we were both well acquainted with. We shot the shit about ‘back in the old days’ and other dusty punk rock lamentations. It’s what old punks do. All the while I was unaware that he had written this stark, bleak, brilliant and funny novel loosely (or maybe tightly) based on his distressed upbringing.  I just finished this powerhouse of a book, and want to shamelessly plug it while its still fresh in my damaged brainpan. Instantly, I felt a kinship with Kelly because this opus begins in a city that we share a mutual history in. It then moved far beyond my just identifying with common experiences, because his experiences in his childhood and my experiences in my childhood were vastly different. What I found so captivating about Kelly’s’ viewpoints was his ability to capture emotional detachment, alienation, and confusion absolutely. And then to convey it to the reader.  Goddamn, thank you for saying it for me. 'I don’t know how I fucking feel’ & ‘I don’t really give a shit what you think.’ Needless to say, I dig this book. I can see myself re-reading it many more times. This book has taken a permanent place in the bookcase. 

His contributions to the zine world are tremendous, too! This is a copy of PILTDOWNLAD #4, one of many 

titles available by Kelly Dessaint 

thru SWEET CANDY DISTRO.

You can also find a multitude of 

his work by following this 

amazon link:

BOOK REVIEW: Birth of an Assassin, by Rik Stone

Genre: Thriller

Book Description:

Set against the backdrop of Soviet, post-war Russia, Birth of an Assassin follows the transformation of Jez Kornfeld from wide-eyed recruit to avenging outlaw. Amidst a murky underworld of flesh-trafficking, prostitution and institutionalized corruption, the elite Jewish soldier is thrown into a world where nothing is what it seems, nobody can be trusted, and everything can be violently torn from him.Given the order to disperse and arrest a crowd of Jewish demonstrators in Red Square, Jez breaks up the rally but discovers his sisters in their ranks. Rushed for a solution, he sneaks the girls from under the noses of secret police and hides them in downtown Moscow. But he knows they will no longer be safe in Russia. He has to find them a safe route out.
The journey begins, but he is unaware that his every move is being observed and that he has set in motion a chain of events that will plunge his life into a headlong battle to stay alive.My review:From the first page, this book had me in its iron grip. Mr. Stone’s fascinating and colorful narrative and explosive plot building set in contrast to the bleak and colorless forever winter of post WWII Russia drags you along, whether you’re comfortable with it or not. His character development and the overt bad guy creepiness of the greasier elements of his cast are very seldom paralleled. The build-up to the climax as our protagonist dissects the crime he’s alternatively investigating and being suspected of kept me anxiously flipping pages! The end does not disappoint, and I was truly bummed out when this book came to an end! I don’t find that nearly often enough…Do yourself a solid and read this book!

My Review:

From the first page, this book had me in its iron grip. Mr. Stone’s fascinating and colorful narrative and explosive plot building set in contrast to the bleak and colorless forever winter of post WWII Russia drags you along, whether you’re comfortable with it or not. His character development and the overt bad guy creepiness of the greasier elements of his cast are very seldom paralleled. The build-up to the climax as our protagonist dissects the crime he’s alternatively investigating and being suspected of kept me anxiously flipping pages! The end does not disappoint, and I was truly bummed out when this book came to an end! I don’t find that nearly often enough…

 Do yourself a solid and read this book! 

Author Bio:

Do children born into poverty become impoverished adults? It happens; pitfalls and roadblocks to advancement are everywhere. Rik Stone grew up poor amidst the slum-lands of fifties North East England, and left school at 15 without any academic qualifications.He worked in the shipyards on a local river and later went into the merchant navy. Further down the line, he worked quarries in Essex in South East England.But life was without horizons until, contrary to what his teachers had told him, he found he was capable of studying and completed a BSc degree in mathematics and computing.Life got lucky for him when he took company pension at 50 and began writing. And now, here he is offering up his debut novel Birth of an Assassin, the first in a series. 

Links :

Amazon UK:

Barnes & Noble:

Kobo:

Waterstones:

Amazon US:

Website for Rik Stone:

or Twitter: @stone_rik